Commercial truck steer tire tread

摘要

A vehicle tire tread includes a circumferential spaced apart array of discrete tie-bar block elements within a circumferential tread groove, each tie-bar block element having a circumferentially oriented bisecting cut dividing the tie bar into opposed tie-bar components. The opposed tie-bar components operatively flex and converge axially when present within a rolling tire footprint to close the radially outward cut segment and resume a nominal separation dimension when outside a rolling tire footprint. The bisecting cut within each tie-bar block element further forms at a radially inward end a large diameter fluid conducting channel extending through the tie-bar block element to allow the passage of fluid along the circumferential groove, unobstructed by the array of tie-bar block elements.

主权项

1. A vehicle tire comprising:
a tire tread having a circumferential center tread region comprising at least a circumferential tread center rib and a laterally adjacent intermediate rib adjacent the center rib, the intermediate rib being separated from the center rib by a circumferential tread groove; at least one tie-bar block element disposed within the circumferential tread groove, the one tie-bar element having a reduced height relative to a height of the center and intermediate ribs; the one tie-bar element comprising a quadrilateral body elongate in a circumferential direction and having terminal end surfaces circumferentially spaced apart and spanning the circumferential tread groove between the tread center rib and the adjacent intermediate rib; the one tie-bar element having longitudinal sides continuously bounded by the tread center rib and the adjacent intermediate rib from an upper surface of the tie-bar element to a bottom of the tie-bar element located at the bottom of the circumferential tread groove; the one tie-bar block element having a circumferentially oriented bisecting cut extending into the upper surface of the one tie-bar block element toward the bottom of the one tie-bar block element, the bisecting cut extending circumferentially through the tie-bar block element with the bisecting cut bounded by opposite inward facing cut sides; and wherein the circumferential tread groove has a nominal depth dimension lying within a range of 12 mm to 18 mm and the at least one tie-bar block element has a radial height within the circumferential groove lying within a range of 11 mm to less than 18 mm.